


The Beginning

by MageOfLight



Series: i swear, this was supposed to just be poly skeleheat sin. now there's an extended story. huh. [2]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Pre-HoneyCherryBerry, Red is not okay though, You Have Been Warned, uh. i really don't know what to tag this.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-30 11:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8532160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight
Summary: In a bit of a freak accident, Underfell Sans winds up in the Underswap-verse. It is not a happy first meeting.





	1. well, that went well.

**Author's Note:**

> this is how Red, Papy, and Blueberry first meet. obviously, a prequel to Sexin' the Red.

Sans sighed as he fiddled with the internal workings of the Machine, glancing down at hard to parse blueprints and instructions every so often. "dammit, g, ya sure know how ta make things difficult..." he muttered to himself, extracting a hand to swipe his sleeve across his sweaty forehead before reaching back in. Sure, he could read wingdings, but it wasn't the easiest language to remember... not when his memory of the only monster who naturally spoke it was shaky at best.  
  
He'd been down there for hours already, spent the entire day in his lab, actually. Papyrus would probably be pissed if he didn't show his face soon. With that thought in mind, Sans decided to stop tinkering for the day and replaced the outer panel. He then grabbed the remote, a complicated little device that he already knew like the back of his hand, and started a test sequence. He'd just run it, then head up.  
  
The Machine started with a whir of fans and the clack of little moving bits. The fact that it even started at all was promising, but Sans didn't let himself get excited. He'd gotten it started before, after all. It just usually broke again in the middle of the testing procedures. When the Machine started rattling and making strange sounds, Sans' eyes widened and he jabbed his thumb at the button to turn it off.  
  
...it wasn't turning off. _Fuck fuck fuck_. He only had a moment to panic before a shock wave blew him back against the wall, hard enough that he was knocked out from the force.

\--------------------------------------------

He woke with a soft groan, slumped pathetically against the wall where he'd fallen. His whole entire body ached, and he was honestly feeling pretty woozy as he forced himself to sit. The Machine was... quiet. He looked over and was startled to find it was covered in the sheet again. "...what." The short skeleton forced himself to not worry about it for now. He really wasn't feeling all that great and he could puzzle this out later when he had his head on straight.  
  
Sans shook his head, then gathered his magic to use a shortcut. He didn't feel like climbing all those stairs in the state he was in. With a zap of magic, he disappeared from his lab and reappeared in the living room. He regretted the usage of his magic instantly as his vision twisted sharply and he stumbled, collapsing to his knees. "ah... dammit..." he hissed, sockets clenched shut and one hand pressed to his skull, waiting for his head to stop pounding.  
  
It hurt so bad that he didn't even hear anyone else in the room, but then someone spoke up. "Who are you?! Why are you in our house?!" Sans stiffened, freezing where he knelt. The voice was high but still masculine, and it arced painfully in his aching head. He wanted to look, but he didn't dare attempt opening his sockets yet. All he could do was cringe back, wondering if his shortcut had broken somehow. He was clearly in someone else's house, and obviously nowhere close to home, seeing as they didn't recognize him as The Great and Terrible Papyrus' shithead older brother. He was likely in the Capital, seeing as Boss rarely went anywhere near Hot Land, let alone the Capital.  
  
Fuck, though, if he was in some random monster's house in the Capital of all places... he was probably going to get dusted. He could only hope he was in Hot Land, where his name carried some weight, and that perhaps the monster didn't recognize him when not wearing a smug-ass grin on his face. "...my name is sans..." he told the unknown monster, his voice coming out a pained rasp. Shit, even talking hurt. "s-sorry fer intruding. gimme a minute and i'll get outta here," he added, internally cringing again at the minor stutter and the way his voice shook. He was showing weakness, which was probably going to get him killed. Who turned their nose up at free EXP? No one, that's who.  
  
The ache in his skull was subsiding a bit, though, so he decided to try prying his sockets open. _Nope. Not happening._ The moment sight filtered in, his vision lurched. He felt like he was going to be sick as he clenched them shut again with a pained groan, bracing himself to be attacked. Fuck, this was the worst. Well, at least it would be over quick. His low HP wouldn't really stand up to any hit with the intent to kill behind it.  
  
"relax, bro. no need to freak out, okay?" That was a second voice. Oh shit, there were two of them. Why were there two?! Situations like him and his brother were so rare it wasn't funny, and it sounded like these two were even nice to each other! Sans was only kept around as a sex toy and stress relief for his younger brother (he missed the days when Boss actually loved him, the days when he could call his baby brother 'Papyrus' without gaining a new scar). Was the Capitol really all that different than the outer reaches of the Underground? He heard footsteps against carpet, one of the monsters approaching. Probably the dominant of the two, coming to dust him.  
  
Despite the fact that he couldn't open his eyes, and the fact that he still felt so ill he might actually throw up (...could skeletons throw up???), he managed to scramble back until he hit the wall, though the sensation of having his back to the wall freaked him out more. He couldn't see, his magic wouldn't do him any good here, and he was backed up against the wall. He was so boned. The footsteps followed him until they were only a foot or so away before stopping. Sans cringed, bracing himself. This was going to suck.  
  
"you alright there, friend? you don't look so good." The voice, shockingly smooth, low, and downright pleasant to his ear cavities, despite the raging headache, paused for a moment before continuing. "you don't have to leave yet if you aren't feeling up to it, y'know. can I, uh, get you anything... Sans?" The voice sounded nice enough, though he hesitated on Sans' name. Still, that wasn't what Sans' brain was stuck on. He was absolutely floored. This monster was calling him... friend? What the fuck? And then saying he didn't have to leave and offering him, what, food? Drink? Who even knew. Still, what the actual fuck? What kind of sissy fucking monsters did he even wind up with? Sure, he could maybe understand being nice to each other (a surge of jealousy hit him sharply at the thought, but he brutally shoved it down), but a total stranger? That just didn't happen. He kept his mouth shut, not knowing how to answer. The other monster sighed and stood up, walking away.  
  
There was someone else approaching to take the deep-voiced monster's place, though, and soon enough, they were there right in front of him and he twitched. There wasn't anywhere to retreat to anymore, though, so he huddled up, making himself as small as possible. "H-hey there! I'm the Magnificent Sans!" The first monster, who seemed to have a bit of a volume control issue suddenly spoke up, introducing himself and causing Sans to flinch. He was way too loud for the small skeleton's head to handle at that moment. Still, he couldn't help but wonder at this apparently egotistical monster sharing his name. It wasn't a common one as far as he knew. "My brother is probably getting something to help you right now, but I'll stay with you for the time being!" Aside from the initial stutter, this one's voice was obnoxiously cheerful, and Sans let out a soft, pained groan, wishing he'd just shut up.  
  
"...uh, sorry, could ya... uh, fuck, could ya maybe.. not speak so loud...?" There was no harm in asking, right? With how these two were acting, maybe he wouldn't even get dusted for it, as baffling as the very idea even was.  
  
There was silence for a moment, and Sans shifted only to flinch when the other monster (too close, he was too close) cleared his throat. "Heh... sorry about that. Papy always tells me to use my indoor voice, but it's hard when there's so much exciting stuff happening!" The monster's voice had at least started off quiet, but it gradually got louder, and Sans hunched further in on himself in an attempt to escape it. He was thankful he was trying, but stars, he couldn't even begin to imagine how such an excitable guy had managed to survive. Maybe he was under the protection of his brother? (...Papy? That sounded way too close to his own brother's name...) "A-anyway... how did you even end up here? I mean, you just kind of appeared out of nowhere and everything!" Sans jumped at the sound of the other's voice, once again starting quiet, only to get loud again near the end, and he really wished he could be anywhere but here.  
  
He shifted uncomfortably at the question, wondering how to even answer that. He'd never before had to explain his shortcuts. He was so very careful to keep them a secret, after all. Sure, Boss knew, but he never asked because as far as he was aware, Sans had _always_ been able to do them. "...uh... shortcut?" he replied after a moment of thought, though he felt rather lame at the lackluster response. His inner science nerd was complaining big time, too, but he couldn't think well enough to even attempt a proper explanation. "except, uh... it didn't work right, i guess. i don't even know where i am right now..." Sans slumped. "shit, papyrus is gonna kill me..." The last bit was muttered under his breath, not meant to be heard by the other monster. He felt absolutely worthless. It seemed he couldn't do anything right... Boss was probably going to beat his sorry ass when he got home... though it wasn't like he wouldn't deserve it, considering he apparently couldn't control his own magic enough to make a quick jump from his lab to his house. Instead, he'd wound up who knows where, and he didn't even dare risk using a shortcut to try going home. Who knew where he'd end up. At least here he had a slim chance of surviving... unless these guys were just toying with him before dusting him.  
  
"You have a Papy, too?!" The other monster seemed to have not only heard the last thing he'd muttered (...good ears. But he was too. Fucking. Close, so that probably helped), but had latched onto his brother's name. "Does yours look like mine????" the other Sans asked, and Sans furrowed his browridges. Was this guy an idiot?  
  
Putting aside the questions on the likelihood of two pairs of brothers being named Sans and Papyrus (seriously though, what the fuck????), Sans turned his closed sockets on the other with a scowl. "...shit, kid, i don't even know. in case it escaped yer notice, i can't fucking open my sockets right now, so it isn't as if i even know what ya and the other guy look like. pretty sure if i try to get a look at you guys, we'll be finding out pretty quickly whether or not skeletons can actually throw up," he muttered, tone a sarcastic, pained hiss. Everything hurt so bad, and he kind of wished the other guy with the smooth, deeper, quiet voice would come back. At least that one's voice didn't rattle around in his head like it couldn't figure out a way out after getting in.  
  
There was a pause as the other Sans shifted awkwardly, as if realizing what a dumb question he'd asked, but then he seemed to put that aside, smacking Sans' arm with a hit that was probably barely a tap but sent searing agony up his arm. He didn't even hear the monster scolding him for his language at the same time the hit connected. All he could concentrate on was how bad it _hurt_ , mouth open in a pained scream that cracked and broke off into harsh panting. It felt like that one time Boss had used an actual whip on him to beat him.  
  
Honestly, if he'd been able to hear the scolding past the pain that had momentarily blocked out his senses, he'd have been able to keep calm. But he hadn't heard. All his terrified mind could lock onto was that he'd put a tentative layer of trust out when they hadn't dusted him (stupid, it's kill or be killed), and yet the loud one had attacked him anyway. It was the terror, plain and simple, that drove him to attack back, magic gathering and blazing in his closed sockets as he reached out, grabbing the other's soul in his gravity manipulation and attempted to throw him across the room... only to fail as, with another sharp cry of pain, his magic guttered out and he hunched over, grabbing at his skull with both hands, attempting to choke back a sob.  
  
He didn't even have a chance to recover from the agony of both being hit and his own magic backfiring before he felt himself being drawn into a battle. Terror filled him as his soul was revealed and he thrashed as he was lifted and pinned against the wall with blue magic. There was no escape, though. There wasn't anywhere to run, and even if he could, he couldn't use his magic without the risk of damaging himself further. There was also the fact that he didn't think he could move well enough to dodge, even if he could see what was coming for him. This was it, then. He was about to be dusted. Squeezing his sockets shut tighter, he allowed himself to go limp in the grasp of the other monster's magic. Honestly, there wasn't even any point in trying anymore, so he took the only option left to him. He gave up. Sure, he was utterly terrified, but at least it would be over quickly. He only had 10 HP at his best, and right now, he didn't doubt it was much lower. It would only take one hit to kill him regardless.  
  
Then, of all things, he felt the other _check_ him. Seriously? Why bother? It was clear he wasn't in good shape. Why not just end it right away? Why was he drawing it out? This was just torture. His own turn came around, and he figured, why not? Might as well know the identity of his killer, even if he'd never see him. He checked.  
  
_Papyrus_  
_HP: 1/1_  
_ATK: 1_  
_DEF: 1_  
  
His stats were pathetic, but even so, Sans felt like there was much more to this monster... but even with those low stats (too much like his own base stats), this Papyrus could finish him in one hit. His own HP was settled at 1/10. He figured the Machine blasting him against the wall had probably knocked him down by at least half. Backlash from the bad shortcut and his failed attempt to shove the other Sans away had probably done the rest.  
  
Sans' turn was over, and it was all he could do to not hyperventilate as he felt the build up of magic crackling in the air. He wanted to die with at least some of his dignity intact. There was yelling, the voice high and vaguely hysterical-sounding, but he couldn't afford the concentration needed to focus on understanding the words. He needed to focus on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Slow and even. He didn't even notice the tears tracking down his face as he tried to keep the helpless fear he felt from sweeping him into a panic attack. He was going to die. He didn't want to. He wondered if Boss would even miss him. Would he go looking for him? Sans had no idea.  
  
Despite everything, Sans wanted to go home. At least his younger brother was a known threat. At least with him, there would only be a beating. Maybe his brother would fuck him again. It was still something known. Something he could mostly predict. Boss hardly ever pulled anything new. He only ever did it when Sans needed a harsher punishment than usual.  
  
_0.8/10_  
  
The magic faded from the air.  
  
_Papyrus is sparing you._  
  
...what? Why? Confusion knocked Sans out of his building panic attack and, with no other option, the extremely baffled skeleton also chose mercy, letting the fight end. The magic released him, and he slumped to the floor in a pathetic heap. "...why? why didn't you just kill me...?" he asked, voice weaker than it had been before. He couldn't understand. He should have been dust. Why make him suffer like this? Unless they were sadistic freaks who liked to mess around with their victims. It would make sense, what with the way they were both acting. The situation was almost enough to laugh at. Of course he'd wind up with monsters like that. Why the fuck not? His life was already one huge joke and a disappointment, anyway. Why not add one more piece of bullshit to the already steaming heap?  
  
"Sorry about that. My brother is extremely protective of me." Sans jolted at the sound of the other Sans' voice so close. When had he approached? Terror set the skeleton's bones rattling lightly, and he curled in on himself pathetically. He needed to get away, find some way of healing himself, and make his way home. But he couldn't do that. He was too weak, too damaged. Even if these monsters didn't kill him, he was likely going to dust soon, anyway. He could feel his soul starting to crack. Hah, wouldn't that be hilarious? He'd dust before one of them could kill him, and they'd lose out on the EXP. He heard the other Sans turn away, and then he was berating the mystery Papyrus out for not 'bringing anything back' before turning back. "Do you like tacos?!" the monster asked, and Sans furrowed his browridges in confusion.  
  
"...what's a taco?" he muttered, then shook his head, wondering why he was even asking. Honestly, it was all he could do to keep his breathing mostly under control at this point, and he didn't really know what to do with himself. He was as good as dust already, couldn't see, and his magic was shot. He had no hope left of even making it out alive, and these fuckers were toying with him. "shit, never mind. yer both obviously a pair of sick fucks who get off on toying with their victims. just hurry up and kill me already, or i'll dust myself. wouldn't take much anyway, and neither of ya would get the exp for it. i'm not gonna just sit here and let ya torment me fer however long ya intend ta!" he snapped, mouth twisting into an angry snarl.  
  
_0.5/10_  
  
"wait, what? victims?" Papyrus sounded utterly baffled. Sans didn't believe it for a second. "I'm sorry about before. are you in pain? let me-." Sans never heard what Papyrus had to say. He no longer had enough left to remain conscious. Slowly, he slumped limply to the side.


	2. oh, wait. no it didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, Red's officially out of commission for the time being. he's not in good shape. let's let him rest for a bit, yeah? good luck, Papy.

Papyrus' sockets widened as every tense line in the small, edgy skeleton went slack. A feeling of worry for the new Sans flit through him, and he did a quick stat check only to gasp in horror at what he found.  
  
_Sans_  
_HP: 0.3/10_  
  
"Sans! bring some spider cider! hurry!" Papyrus nearly shrieked, a sense of panic overwhelming him and causing his voice to pitch higher as he gathered his magic. He was utter shit at healing, but he could at least keep the darker Sans from dusting. Holding out his hands, he let the green magic flow into the smaller monster, keeping up a constant check. A hit of relief went through him as the HP counter ticked up to 0.4, but it was slow. Much slower than even his poor skills should have granted.  
  
Thankfully, his Sans ran in with the jug of spider cider and a cup moments later. He didn't dare look away from his task, carefully pulling the shark-toothed skeleton close to him. The contact seemed to help a little, his HP ticking up to 0.5, then 0.6 as Sans approached, clearly worried. "What's going on, Papy?" he asked, unusually quiet.  
  
"he passed out, and when I checked his HP, it was at 0.3. I don't know how he isn't already dust. he must've really wanted to live, despite whatever he thought we were going to do." Papyrus sighed. "get some of that in him. I can't heal him fast enough," he told his little brother, a little dismayed. His magical reserves were huge, but his shit stats didn't allow him to use said magic effectively at all.  
  
It took a little bit of effort, but soon enough, they had the alternate Sans stabilized at 5/10 HP. The counter refused to go any higher than that, though, something that worried Papyrus deeply, but it was still an improvement over being moments away from dusting. They got him settled on the couch and tucked in, worriedly watching him. When his HP didn't drop anymore, Papyrus allowed himself to relax, leaning against the side of the couch and slumping. He could really go for a cig about now.  
  
"shit, this is my fault, isn't it?" Papyrus muttered, fumbling in his pockets for his smokes. For once, Sans didn't even make a fuss as Papyrus shook one of the little box he kept them in. He didn't light it, though, simply letting it rest between his teeth. "he was already down at 1hp when I started that battle. judging from what he was saying, he probably lost all hope of surviving when I did that..." The tall skeleton sighed, then rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"You know, Papy... You're probably right. You lost your cool and you really need to stop doing that the moment anyone so much as raises a finger against me. I'm not a babybones anymore, and you know I can look after myself." Papyrus flinched at that, looking away as guilt pressed heavily on his shoulders. He _was_ treating his little brother like a babybones. Maybe Sans was a little bit naive and excitable, but that was partly his own fault for sheltering and hiding things from him. It was probably more than time he trusted his brother to, well, grow up. It sounded like he was already doing that pretty well anyway, despite everything.  
  
"...yeah, I know. I'm sorry, bro..." Papyrus replied, sagging. "I can't promise I'll stop completely... old habits and all... but I'll try."  
  
"That's really all I can ask," Sans replied with a wide smile, leaning over and hugging Papyrus. "For now, though, let's focus on helping our guest get better, okay?" he asked, and Papyrus nodded.  
  
"...ugh, we're gonna have to find something to call this guy. having two Sanses around is gonna be really confusing," Papyrus grumbled, looking over his shoulder. Really, how did a Sans from some alternate universe even get here? The poor guy didn't even seem to be aware that he wasn't anywhere close to his own timeline. Granted, his Sans didn't know anything about timelines and alternate realities, so it was probably pretty natural that this one didn't, either. Him using shortcuts was a weird thing, though. His Sans didn't even know about shortcuts, let alone know how to use them. What was this guy's Papyrus even doing?  
  
"Hmmm... well, why not Red for now?"  
  
"Red? why Red?"  
  
"Well... his magic was red? Sorry, it's a dumb idea," Sans laughed sheepishly, shaking his head.  
  
"nah, it's not dumb. it'll work until he wakes up and we can come up with something better." Sans beamed at that, then stood up.  
  
"Watch over him? I'm gonna go finish making dinner."

\--------------------------------------------

Red wasn't waking up. Papyrus eyed the limp skeleton on their couch with a worried frown. It had been a full week since he'd turned up, and his HP hadn't moved even a little, even though sleeping should have given him a boost by now. The taller filtered a bit of magic into the smaller once again, though it still seemed to have no effect. To make matters worse, their little guest seemed to have developed a fever overnight, his face flushed with his crimson magic and his breathing ragged.  
  
A knock sounded at the front door, startling Papyrus. "c-coming!" he called, took one last look at Red, then headed for the door. Undyne was standing on the other side, and Papyrus let out a breath. "hey Undyne. thanks for coming all the way here. I know how you hate the cold."  
  
"O-oh, it's no problem, P-Papyrus. A-anything f-for a friend," Undyne replied as Papyrus let her in, shutting the door behind her. "W-what did you call m-me out for?"  
  
"Okay, so... you know the multiverse theory, right?" Undyne nodded slowly, shifting from foot to foot uneasily. "well, it's not just a theory. Gaster proved it before we lost him. and now? well, I have living proof of it laying on my couch... only we didn't have such a great first meeting, and he's been unconscious for a week. I know he hasn't fallen because he developed a fever late last night." At that point, Papyrus let Undyne see past him to the edgy Sans doppelganger laying on the couch. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took him in. "I know you aren't a medical doctor, Undyne... but you're the only safe person I could think to call that has any chance of helping him..."  
  
"...P-Papyrus... I don't e-even know if I can... I m-mean... I... I..." Undyne shook her head and did her best to square her shoulders, even though she wasn't really the most confident monster.  
  
"you can do it, Undyne. there's no one I trust more with this," Papyrus told her, clapping a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded shyly, then headed over to the couch. Papyrus watched as she set her bag down, and started pulling medical supplies from inside, lining them up on the coffee table. She wasn't sure what she'd need when Papyrus told her to bring them, so she'd packed up whatever she could find. Once that was done, a gentle flair of magic touched the air and she started mumbling to herself. There was nothing he could do aside from leave her to it, so he headed into the kitchen to retrieve refreshments.


	3. i mean, it could be worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stars... that took forever. i'm so sorry. orz  
> so... i'm sick, and really lacking energy. also have a nasty headache... so i'm not doing my usual editing. i just want to post and forget this exists for a while. m'kay? m'kay.  
> ...i'll edit properly later. maybe. i mean, i usually do, so... ::shrugs:: later. for now, enjoy this probable mess. i no longer care anymore.
> 
> btw, this probably has about 2-3 chapters left to go. i hate myself right now. haha
> 
> Edit 1/9/2017: Feeling a bit better today. Figured I should take a stab at editing this monster of a chapter. Haha (...blarg, there goes all my editing to a browser crash... i'll try again later. i'm _bone tired_. for now, save what little i do have.)
> 
> Edit 1/15/2017: finally got this all edited without my browser crashing and ruining all my work! ugh. now to finish the next chapter.

Undyne would be the first to admit she wasn't the most confident monster. She'd made a lot of mistakes in the past. So when she received a phone call from the only person who knew how badly she'd fucked up, begging for medical help, she wasn't sure what to think. She'd agreed of course. Papyrus was always helping her and she felt pretty much obligated to return the favour, no matter how unsure she was that she could actually do anything.  
  
What she wasn't expecting was for Papyrus to show her a clearly alternate Sans, laying limp and feverish on his couch. The Sans she knew was nowhere to be seen, but given it was the middle of the day, he was probably either out on sentry duty, or training with Alphys. She sighed, listening to quiet sounds from the kitchen as she examined the sick skeleton on the couch, wondering why Papyrus hadn't called her sooner. Still, there wasn't much she could do about that part. She could try and help this Sans now, though.  
  
She took her time examining him, tools being switched in and out. By the time she was done, the tea Papyrus had made for her was stone cold on the table behind her, and she was sweating faintly from the continuous use of magic. "P-Papyrus?" she called and jumped when the tall skeleton pretty much appeared out of nowhere right next to her with a quiet pop sound. His face twisted into something apologetic as she fell back with a gasp, clutching her chest. "G-gosh, d-don't d-d-d-do that!"  
  
"...sorry, 'Dyne. I didn't mean to scare you," Papyrus replied, kneeling down to help her up.  
  
"I-it's okay," she replied, shaking her head as she accepted his help. Then she sighed. "I figured out w-what's w-wrong..." She paused, brushing a loose clump of hair from her face. "H-his manalines a-are all skewed. I... I c-can't do a-anything to h-help him, Papyrus," she said, staring down at her feet. She wasn't any kind of healer and didn't even dare mess with a skeleton monster's manalines. Skeletons, being even more magic-based than the average monsters, had very delicate systems. One wrong move could permanently cause damage. She wasn't even sure the mess that was the small skeleton's system could even _be_ fixed, let alone by someone like her.  
  
"shit, his manalines? I didn't even think of checking that..." Papyrus felt like an idiot, but of course it wouldn't have occurred to check. As delicate a system as it was, it was difficult to actually disrupt. The damage had to be extremely deep to actually harm a skeleton-type monster like that. "thanks, Undyne. I owe you one."  
  
Undyne felt a little bit of relief, hearing Papyrus' tone. While her fumbling hands would likely botch any attempt to help, Papyrus could help the poor monster. She just knew it. And if he couldn't do it himself, his little brother with his fine magical control would be able to do it. The little monster was in good hands. She let herself smile, just a little. "I'm g-glad I could help... e-even if it w-was j-just identifying the i-issue for y-you," she told him, scratching the back of her head.  
  
"honestly? figuring out what the issue is was more than enough. now that I know, we can do something about this," Papyrus replied, sounding relieved.  
  
"D-do you still n-need me? I should r-really get back to the l-lab..." Undyne shifted nervously from foot to foot as Papyrus looked considering, then shook his head.  
  
"no. Sans and I can handle this much on our own. thanks again, 'Dyne." He smiled and she returned it with a shaky one of her own, then started packing her things. It didn't take long, and soon enough she was ready to go. She cast one last look at the new monster, as well as Papyrus who was already focused intently, hands over the smaller's core. He really was in good hands. Smiling to herself, she turned and silently let herself out of the skeleton brothers' home. It wouldn't be a good idea to disturb him at that moment just to say goodbye. She could text him later.

\--------------------------------------------

Papyrus sat back with a huff, panting and sweating. He'd been working hard to fix the damage, but it was... really bad. Nothing permanent, thankfully, but he didn't have the stamina to continue, or the finer control needed to straighten out the worst of it. He slumped, then fought to stand up, stumbling to the kitchen for a snack.  
  
When he stumbled back into the living room with a bottle of honey in hand, he took note of a difference. Red's face was less flushed, so the fever definitely had something to do with the disturbance of his manalines. Good to know. He checked Red next and made a pleased little sound at his findings.  
  
_Sans_  
_5.5/10_  
  
It wasn't a large improvement, but it was certainly something. Unfortunately, he'd need to wait until Sans got home before any more could be done. He sighed, slumping next to the couch and sipped absently on his honey.  
  
The sound of the door opening and thunking closed jolted him out of a doze sometime later, and he sighed, looking up. Sans was back. He smiled at his brother, waving him over. "welcome home, Sansy," he greeted, noting the frown on Sans' face. "so, a briefing. I had Undyne over to check Red out. turns out the problem was something neither of us even thought to check." He paused a moment, glancing at their guest before looking back at Sans. "his manalines are, well... see for yourself. I already did what I could, but I just don't have the precision control needed to help him without risking permanent damage," Papyrus said, shrugging helplessly.  
  
"Of course neither of us thought to check that! It's really hard to disrupt our manalines, much less severely enough to render us unconscious... what even happened to him?" Sans replied, aghast. He then walked over and knelt beside his brother next to the couch, his eyelights hazing out as he focused hard on the pretty much comatose monster on their couch. He shook his head a moment later, making a sound of utter dismay. "Gosh, he really is a mess. However, I'm pretty sure I can handle this! You'll have to cook dinner tonight, though, Papy. And no cheating and getting dinner from Muffet's! All those sweets are not good for your health, and I will have no part in it!" Sans chided, though he was smiling. Papyrus grinned back. He was definitely getting Muffet's. Sans didn't actually hate the food, and she _did_ have a few more healthy items on her menu than just spider doughnuts and other pastries, and Sans would be needing the more rich, potent food after this, anyway. He also figured Red, when he finally woke up, might need it too considering they hadn't been able to get much more into him than a bit of cider for the past week. His magic reserves had to be getting rather low by this point.  
  
Papyrus watched silently for a few minutes as Sans settled in to work. It was always incredibly interesting to watch his brother work with his magic on delicate things, and this case was no different. Sans' hands glowed a soft cyan, his eyes flaring with magic. As he watched, thin tendrils of Sans' magic wove around Red's bones, and he knew, if he **looked** , he'd see those tendrils carefully straightening the mess that was Red's manalines. Man, his little bro was so cool. Sighing silently, Papyrus stood, heading out. He had dinner to go fetch.

\--------------------------------------------

When Papyrus returned no more than half an hour later, his first instinct was to check in on the two smaller skeletons. Sans was sweating faintly, face set in a look of deep concentration and Red's face was no longer flushed, which was a good sign. He then checked the still unconscious skeleton.  
  
_Sans_  
_8/10_  
  
He let himself relax at that, feeling a bolt of pride for his brother's work. That was already a huge improvement, and so fast as well. Grinning, Papyrus set his takeaway on the table and then pulled out a few plates before dishing out the food. Naturally, Sans was going to scold him seeing as the food was obviously from Muffet's, simply judging by the amount of spiders that were in the meal. Still, he probably wouldn't complain too much, considering Papyrus had gotten the most healthy things on the menu.  
  
Sans came stumbling in a few minutes later, his entire body drooping with an uncharacteristic exhaustion. Still, his expression was bright despite the heavy drooping of his socket lids. "hey there, bro... everything okay?"  
  
The short skeleton jumped, but then his gaze locked on Papyrus and he grinned tiredly. "Of course, Papy! Red is doing much better. I just... needed a bit of a break," he replied, looking sheepish. Papyrus smiled, reaching out and stroking Sans' skull affectionately.  
  
"if you hadn't been working on something extremely delicate, I would have actually asked that you take a break when I checked on you two a few minutes ago. you're doing so good, Sans," Papyrus murmured, hugging Sans, who gratefully sagged against the older. Papyrus smiled a bit wider, then carefully guided his brother to his seat at the table. "let's get some food in you, bro. you've probably put a huge dent in your magic reserves."  
  
Sans laughed sheepishly. "Pretty much exhausted them, actually. I'm not used to using my magic in _quite_ that way. It's harder than I thought it was going to be." He sighed, glancing back to the living room. There was still quite a bit of work to do, but it was a huge improvement. He then turned to look at the food on the table and frowned. "...really, Papy?" he asked, but then shook his head. It was obvious it was food from Muffet's... but honestly, it didn't look too bad. Maybe he hadn't been giving the spider monster enough credit after all... He sighed and dug in without any other complaint.  
  
Which turned out to be a good thing. He jolted, suddenly feeling much more awake as magic flooded his depleted system the moment he absorbed the food. His eyes widened as he stared first at the meal, then at Papyrus, who was laughing quietly at the look on his face. "I told Muffet you'd likely need an extra kick for your meal. She was happy to oblige. Looks like she might have gone a bit overboard if that was your reaction," Papyrus commented, snickering in amusement.  
  
"...uh," came Sans' rather intelligent reply, a little bit floored. She'd wanted to help that much, even though she knew how much he disliked her cafe? He really hadn't been giving her enough credit. A touch of guilt pulled his baffled expression into a frown, and he stared down at the food. Stars, though, a few bites and his magic reserves would probably be back up near full. It was kind of like the best sugar rush, only way healthier. "I'll have to be sure to go thank her later," he commented, then ate a bit more before pushing it away.  
  
"hey... she understands, y'know? I go there and skip my work all the time, and she's most famous for her spider doughnuts and cider. it's not like I made any effort to change your opinion of the place, either, and she knows it," Papyrus said, watching as Sans ate. He wondered just how overboard Muffet went, though, when Sans only managed to eat half his meal before pushing it away, looking completely re-energized. Well, at least he'd have more for when he was done helping Red, anyway.  
  
"I'm still going to go and thank her... and apologize for being so rude all this time. She's a good cook," Sans announced, seeming to get his pep back at coming to a decision. Papyrus smiled. "However, I shall have to do that later! The Magnificent Sans still has much work to do to help Red out!"  
  
With that, Sans darted from his seat and back to the living room, only to freeze in place halfway there. Papyrus blinked, then stood and followed his brother.  
  
Red was awake. His hazy eyelights were trained on the ceiling, expression twisted in confusion, though he didn't seem to be all there quite yet. Papyrus put his hand on Sans' shoulder, then gestured to him to wait before approaching. "hey there. didn't think you'd wake up before being completely healed," he uttered, stepping close enough to be in Red's line of sight.  
  
No reaction. Okay then. "Sans?" Nothing. Waving a hand in front of the skeleton's eyelights also proved to get no reaction. It was at that moment that he realized his brother's alternate didn't seem to be able to see or hear. "welp... this is going to be messy..." he muttered, then turned to his Sans with a frown. "seems the magic controlling his sight and hearing is still out. he's probably gonna freak out the moment your magic touches him," he said with a sigh. Sans nodded, frowning worriedly. "okay, bro, here's how this is gonna go. I'm gonna use my blue magic to pin him down, you get his hearing fixed as fast as possible. doesn't matter if he can see us yet or not, but he needs to be able to hear us. got it?"  
  
"Got it, Papy!" Sans replied, then went to kneel next to Red, hands already glowing with cyan magic at the ready. Papyrus nodded, his left eye flaring orange as he quickly seized Red and held him immobile in his magic. As predicted, Red tried (way too weakly) to fight his hold, only to seize up in terror as Sans' magic joined in, tendrils of cyan gracefully wrapping around Red's form, sinking through clothing and bone to grasp at his manalines.  
  
Papyrus did the only thing he could think of, kneeling at the end of the couch and leaning over it to soothingly stroke Red's skull, whispering comforting words to him until the terror started to ease away, bafflement replacing it. He stopped fighting Papyrus' hold as well, relaxing with a quiet, barely there whimper. He was clearly still scared out of his mind, but he'd also just as clearly given up.  
  
"can you hear me now?" Papyrus asked quietly. Red's response was a small, broken sound, expression shifting back in the area of terror. Guilt bit at Papyrus for that. It was his own fault, after all. "I'll take that as a yes. listen, however you got here, your manalines were severely disrupted in the process. you were out for a full week before we even figured out what was wrong. my little bro is fixing the damage for you now, but you need to stay calm, okay?" There was no response but for Red's eyelights brightening a little, expression relaxing ever so slightly. "okay, so I'm going to let you go. my magic is probably interfering with my brother's efforts. try not to move around too much until he's done, okay? the last thing anyone wants is for him to mess up while he's dealing with such a delicate system."  
  
Red closed his sockets, which Papyrus took for acknowledgement. Nodding, he released Red. The skeleton didn't move except to open his sockets again, hazy eyelights trained on the ceiling still. He wasn't even trying to look elsewhere. He also didn't react when Papyrus checked him again.  
  
_Sans_  
_9/10_  
  
"hey, looks like you're almost there, buddy. nine outta ten. my bro is really good at this sort of delicate work, huh?" This got a reaction, the darker Sans blinking and letting out a huff of air. His eyelights were less hazy, and he started squinting and blinking rapidly as if trying to clear his vision. Hell, he probably was, actually.  
  
"...stop that." Red's voice, when it came was quiet and slightly raspy. Papyrus made an inquisitive sound in response. Red sighed. "petting me, ya asshole. stop it."  
  
"oh. heh, sorry." Papyrus pulled his hand away. "it seemed to be working to keep you calm while you couldn't hear or see anything, and I didn't think to stop after your hearing returned. sorry 'bout that."  
  
Red didn't reply, so Papyrus turned his attention to his Sans, who was still hard at work, sweat once again trailing down his skull. Papyrus wanted to wipe it away, but he wasn't going to distract Sans to do so, so he let it be, looking back at Red, who had a perplexed look on his face now. His crimson eyelights were no longer hazy, but he still kept them trained unflinchingly on the ceiling. Perhaps he didn't want to even move those while Sans' magic was still working at his manalines? "you look like there's something on your mind, bud," Papyrus commented.  
  
Red sighed softly. "...why're ya helping me?" he asked, sounding just as perplexed as his expression looked. "i'm easy execution points. why not just dust me?"  
  
"shit, pal, your universe is hella messed up," Papyrus replied, browridges arched. "this world doesn't work that way. only reason for other monsters being killed is either if a violent human falls or someone snaps under the stress of living down here, which is a pretty rare occurrence. Monsters are more likely to fall down than to snap."  
  
"...universe?"  
  
"yeah. dunno how you did it, but you're in a completely different universe." Papyrus stood, moving into Red's field of vision. His sockets widened, eyelights shrinking to barely there points in his sockets. Papyrus could see and _feel_ the terror Red was experiencing, somehow more intense than it had been before. Somehow, though, he was still keeping perfectly still for Blue. The poor guy had amazing self-control. Papyrus didn't think he'd be able to keep his bones from rattling in that state.  
  
"hey, hey, shhh... you're okay, Red," Papyrus murmured, reaching down to rub Red's shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.  
  
"r-red?" the smaller monster questioned, voice shaking. Papyrus blinked.  
  
He then realized he'd called the other Sans the temporary nickname they'd been using while he was out cold, and chuckled softly. "sorry. got to become a bit of a habit. we started calling you Red while you were sleeping because it would just get confusing if there were two Sanses," he explained, grinning.  
  
"...oh." Before they could exchange any more conversation, Sans' magic unfurled from Red and the exhausted skeleton sat back with a heavy sigh.  
  
"There! How do you feel?" Sans asked, offering the fanged skeleton a tired smile.  
  
Red shifted, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his joints, but then sat up slowly. He stared at his hands as he flexed them for a minute before looking at Sans. "...stiff," was the only answer he seemed to be willing to provide. Papyrus bet he was pretty sore, too, having slept on the lumpy couch all week. He couldn't even imagine what was going through the smaller monster's head right now, though.  
  
"bet you're sore, too," he commented, watching with a concerned frown as Red stiffened and shook his head. He was beginning to get a very nasty picture painted of Red's universe... and he wasn't liking it one bit. He sighed, shaking it off as he righted himself. "I'll go get you two some food. you'll feel better once you've eaten," he told both of them, then headed to the kitchen.  
  
He quickly gathered the food he'd plated out before, ignoring the fact that one of the plates was supposed to be for him (he could eat leftovers later), and placed the food and two mugs of spider cider onto a tray. Once that was done, he took the tray out to the living room. Red eyed the food with a surprising amount of intensity, though he hadn't relaxed any. Papyrus didn't think he would for quite a while yet.  
  
Silently, he set the tray down and watched as Red gingerly moved from the couch to the floor as Sans took the remains of his dinner from the tray. As they ate, Papyrus couldn't help but muse over what kind of world Red came from. From the way he'd acted when he first showed up (terror and an attempt at bravado while accusing them of being sick fucks who got off on _torturing their victims_ , what the actual fuck) to the terror he radiated even now as he picked at the food he'd been given and the refusal to admit that he was sore... Papyrus could guess that Red's world was probably the 'kill or be killed' type, and showing weakness was something that got a monster killed.  
  
"so... I think a talk is in order here," Papyrus commented, sitting down near the two Sanses. Red visibly flinched. "calm down, bud. we're not gonna hurt you."  
  
"...i know." No, he clearly didn't, but Papyrus let it slide without another word on the matter.  
  
"for starters, nicknames." When both of the Sanses looked at him (one with masked curiosity, the other open), he shrugged. "well, obviously we can't call both of you Sans, and I imagine our visitor has his own Papyrus, so-"  
  
"i don't call my younger brother by his name anymore," Red muttered, cutting him off. "i'm fine calling ya by yer name."  
  
"younger? huh. well, that... might explain a few thing? I'm the older brother between me and my Sans," Papyrus replied, thoughtfully. Red's expression shifted, but he couldn't tell what he was thinking once again. "okay, so I guess that solves the issue with my name, but..."  
  
The dark Sans sighed. "red's fine. i don't care what you call me," he muttered. There was something bitter about how he said that that even Sans appeared to pick up on. It was like... he was used to having his name taken from him.  
  
"Well then! I hardly think that's fair for only one of us to have a strange nickname!" Sans suddenly piped up, looking a lot more energetic. His plate was empty when Papyrus looked, and he shook his head, smiling. "From now on, call me Blue!" Red looked utterly gobsmacked at S- Blue's words.  
  
"heh, I think that'll only work inside the house, bro," Papyrus commented. Blue deflated slightly.  
  
"Well... yes, but. Amongst the three of us, at least, I think it would be better."  
  
"...shit," Red muttered, looking away. Blue looked about ready to chide Red for his language, but he stopped before he could start. Papyrus wondered what that was all about. He normally didn't even hesitate to smack Papyrus on the arm and chide him...  
  
And then it dawned on him and he had to bite back the urge to groan. That must have been the reason Red tried to attack Blue while he'd been in the kitchen the week before. With his manalines so damaged, he had to have been in a lot of pain. Having Blue smack his arm, even lightly, would have set him off without a doubt. Papyrus felt even more guilty than before.  
  
"so, with that out of the way... what do you want to do, Red?" he asked, trying to shake off his thoughts.  
  
"huh? whaddaya mean?"  
  
"I mean, about all this. I don't know how to get you home."  
  
Red looked... slightly relieved? Why? "heh... probably fer the best. boss would... likely dust me on sight," he muttered, rubbing his arm in what looked to be a nervous habit. "and even if he didn't, vice-captain undyne probably would for daring to 'skip work' for a full week," he added, the words followed by a self-depreciating laugh.  
  
"ah hell, Red..." Papyrus whispered, dismayed. Before he could say anything else, though, Blue spoke up.  
  
"In that case, Red... you are more than welcome to stay here with us! I'm sure it would be no problem to make an addition to the house, or we can convert the shed into a guest house!" Blue said, tone surprisingly chipper for all that Papyrus just _knew_ his baby bro would likely be shedding a few tears over this later.  
  
"yeah, I completely agree. we'd be happy to have you," the taller skeleton added, smiling.  
  
Red looked absolutely floored. "w-why...? ya don't even know me! fer all ya know, i could dust the pair'a ya in yer sleep!" He'd started off quiet, though his voice quickly pitched into a near hysterical yell.  
  
"you won't. we may not have had much time to talk, but I'm an excellent judge of character. you won't hurt either of us." Red had stiffened once again at the word 'judge', and Papyrus blinked as another thing dawned on him. Red was likely his universe's Judge. He wondered how much was swapped around between the universes... but now wasn't really the time to let his scientific curiosity get the better of him. Red didn't need that kind of prodding. "in the end, though, it's your choice what to do. no one hurts or takes advantage of anyone else down here, so you're safe wherever."  
  
Red was quiet for a while, picking at his food silently, but not really making any attempt to eat more than the bit he'd already had. Considering his week-long sleep, it was a bit concerning... but he was probably too uneasy to actually consider eating right now. Papyrus and Blue also remained quiet, waiting. They wouldn't rush him. Finally, he lifted his head and directed tiny crimson eyelights at Blue, then at Papyrus. "...can i really stay here?" he asked quietly, tone nervous.  
  
Papyrus smiled. "yeah, Red. we aren't going to just make you go out into a world you know nothing about."  
  
He looked back down at his food at that with a softly muttered "...thanks..." before starting to eat. Papyrus and Blue smiled at each other, relieved. Now all they had to do was come up with a cover story for Red's existence and they'd be all good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~once again, sorry for any errors... i'll fix later on one of my many read-throughs, most likely. lmao~~ (1/15/17: yeah, there shouldn't be anymore errors now. thank the stars. i don't want to look at this anymore. haha)
> 
> ...now time to take my medicine and get some more sleep. X_X


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for being gone so long. a lot of crap happened and just.... ugh.
> 
> as for this chapter, i'm not so sure how i feel about it.... but you guys have been waiting long enough, so eh. sorry for not giving you guys my best after so long...

Sans, or Red, as he'd come to be known as by every new monster he met, sighed as he watched the residents of Snowdin from his place on the balcony. It had been two weeks since he woke up on the couch of a familiar, yet utterly different house and he was finding it hard to settle in. It was weird and uncomfortable, and he just... didn't know what to think or how to react. The air was clean here in a way he couldn't remember the air ever being before. Sure, it felt a little stale due to the atmosphere the monsters exuded, but one wasn't breathing in monster dust like back in his own universe, so that was a plus.  
  
Back home, the air was choked with dust and you couldn't take a breath without pulling in the dust of countless monsters as well. Here, breathing was comfortable. He didn't have that faintly ill feeling of breathing in the dead all the time and his soul felt lighter for it.  
  
Probably the most bizarre thing was getting used to how sincerely nice practically everyone was. Everyone he was introduced to had this warmth to them that was hard to take. Even Captain Alphys, for all that she was a tough warrior, had that air of warmth to her. She'd greeted him like an old friend, roughly giving him a noogie that he was still shocked hadn't knocked any HP off. She'd apologized after when she'd realized that the action had caused his eyelights to gutter out and his bones to rattle when he'd been unable to escape her hold. And that was another thing that he didn't get. The little yellow lizard monster had no LOVE. He couldn't understand how she'd managed to completely overpower him when he had LOVE and she didn't. It was frustrating.  
  
"Red?" He jerked out of his thoughts as he heard the voice of his alternate calling for him and sighed.  
  
"'m out on the balcony..." Red called back, resigned to having to put up with Blue's bouncy attitude. He had been getting a little better about his volume control issues though, so Red wasn't too put out by having his quiet time invaded.  
  
When Blue joined him out on the balcony, it was with a sandwich from Muffet's in hand, as well as a bottle of mustard. Red perked up a bit at seeing it. When they'd learned at the end of the first week he'd been conscious for that Red had a thing for drinking mustard, Blue had looked completely disgusted, but that apparently didn't stop him from providing a bottle of the slightly spicy condiment at least once a day. Red had actually started to look forward to it. He rarely got his fix back home, only being allowed to have it when Boss had been in a good mood. He hadn't been in a good enough mood to let Red have a treat in ages, though. "thanks," he murmured, taking the food. He attempted to offer Blue a smile, but it just came out as a grimace, as usual. He wasn't very good at smiling anymore.  
  
Still, Blue beamed back at him as if he'd just flashed an award-winning smile. "You are very welcome, Red! I need to get back to work, but you know you can call me or Papy if you need anything! See you later!" Blue then ran off, leaving Red standing there with his food and a baffled look on his face.  
  
"...he's so weird..." the red-eyed skeleton mumbled, then dug into his food.

\--------------------------------------------

The next day, Red decided that he really didn't want to stay home alone once again, so he decided to tag along with Papyrus to his station. They talked for a bit about Red getting a sentry job as well, and Red agreed. It would be good to have something to do. Something he knew. The job of Snowdin's sentries was to watch for humans. He could do that, and he was pretty good at his job, too.  
  
"well, with that decided... mind watching my post for a bit? gonna go patrol," Papyrus said with a grin.  
  
"...ya mean slack off and be lazy where Blue can't find ya ta chew ya out while ya take a nap? sure, why not. i could use one myself," Red quipped.  
  
Papyrus threw his hand to his chest in mock affrontment. "how could you accuse me of such a thing, Red? I'm hurt!" Red couldn't help it. He snorted, then burst out into helpless laughter.  
  
The silence from Papyrus brought him out of it pretty quickly, though. He aimed teary eyesockets at the taller skeleton only to see Papyrus standing there, slack-jawed and wide-socketed (was that a blush dusting his cheekbones? what the hell?) at him. "...what?" he asked nervously, wiping at his sockets.  
  
The tone of his question seemed to snap Papyrus out of it, and he shook his head. "shit, sorry. that's just the first time I've heard you actually laugh. I was... getting kinda worried. I mean, you always look amused at my puns, but it's always been this... reserved kind of amusement? I dunno. regardless... you look pretty good when you're happy," he replied, tone soothing.  
  
Red flushed at the compliment and looked away. Shit, he hated it when he got all sincere and shit. "...ugh, just go do yer thing. i'll be fine here for a while," he muttered, settling in behind the sentry station and pillowing his head on his folded arms. He already looked like he was about to fall asleep.  
  
Papyrus grinned and nodded before venturing off along the path leading further away from Snowdin. There was a bridge with a gate that was constructed extremely poorly with the bars set too far apart to stop anyone that he walked through before heading off to the ruins. He settled down at the door and knocked. No answer.  
  
Oh well, it wasn't like the guy on the other side was always there. Frequently, as they'd semi figured out a schedule of sorts, but not always. A shame, really. He always looked forward to the deep-voiced monster's stories. They were usually pretty entertaining, even if some of them were pretty sad. The surprisingly short conversation from yesterday made him a tad uneasy, though. 'If a human comes through these doors, please, promise me you'll protect them.' And like a fool, he'd promised even though he hated making promises. It was hard to resist the guy when he was practically begging. Sighing, he stood up and teleported up into his favourite napping tree.  
  
However, he wouldn't get the chance to nap. The door to the ruins slowly creaked open. A small, nervous-looking human child poked their face out, looking outside. When nothing came at them, they stepped out into the snow, letting the huge door shut behind them. They were young, perhaps about 12, and were likely no taller than either of the Sanses. Their brown hair was cut to their shoulders, the hair just barely brushing against the fabric of their cozy-looking green-and-yellow stripped sweater. The most startling thing about the pale human child was their sharp, crimson eyes attentively taking in all the details of their new environment, though they missed seeing Papyrus pretty much right above them.  
  
_'heh, this'll be fun...'_ Papyrus thought, grinning. He pulled up the hood of his hoodie, then watched as they stepped over a huge stick in the middle of the path. He teleported down, deciding to mess with the kid a bit. Sure, he'd promised to protect them, but that didn't mean he couldn't play a harmless prank or two.  
  
Using a touch of gravity magic on himself, he adjusted his weight to be heavy enough to loudly snap the huge stick. The sound caused the human child to jolt and spin around, but he'd already teleported out of sight, snickering silently. The human ventured back, investigating the broken stick before looking around fearfully. Clearly seeing nothing, and still not thinking to look up, the human turned back around and started back down the path. Papyrus smirked, waiting until they were nearing the gate before teleporting down and noisily crunching through the snow after them.  
  
He watched with amusement as the human froze in place by the gate, trembling. Honestly, it was probably a bit much for a reaction considering they had to have met monsters on the other side of the gate... But then he heard it. The low whine of Gaster Blasters being charged. "...oh shit," he muttered, then teleported so that he was between the kid and Red. As he thought, Red was standing there, eyelights guttered out in wide sockets. Three blasters hovered around him, magic glowing in their mouths. "Sans! stand down!" Papyrus snapped. He didn't like the way Red flinched, but the charge of magic in the blaster's maws faded, jaws snapping shut before they disappeared in a shimmer of magic.  
  
"b-boss?" Red's voice came shaking and fearful, and Papyrus flinched this time.  
  
"no, Red. just me, Papyrus. you're okay," Papyrus replied, stepping closer. Red didn't flinch away, eyelight's sparking slightly to a dim glow in his sockets. "sorry about that, but I needed to get you to stop before you blew the human and me to bits," he said softly, carefully drawing Red into a gentle hug. "I was pretty much right behind them."  
  
"...oh shit, if i'd..." Red hissed, horrified. He pulled away, peaking around Papyrus at the human, who hadn't moved from their place at the start of the bridge. Papyrus glanced back as well, observing their trembling form and wide-eyed, terrified expression. Welp, that wouldn't do...  
  
"it's okay, Red. how about you go home for now. you look like you could use a nap after that," he said, smiling as he released the smaller monster. Red nodded slowly before backing up a couple steps and disappearing in a soft flash of crimson light. Once Red was gone, Papyrus turned around to face the little human. "well then... that certainly wasn't my idea of a good prank, but what can ya do, huh?" he asked, approaching with a soft chuckle. "I'm Papyrus, kid. welcome to the underground," he said, holding out his hand to shake the human's.  
  
The child swallowed heavily, then reached out tentatively to shake Papyrus' hand. The moment their hands clasped, a loud fart sound echoed through the air. There was utter silence for a moment before the little human broke out into startled, wheezing laughter, and Papyrus grinned. "now _that_ is my idea of a prank. the ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick is infinitely more funny, hey?"  
  
The child nodded, still giggling, and Papyrus put the toy away, relaxing his stance a bit more. "hey, kid... I'm really sorry about Red there. he's a good guy, but he's had... a bad life. sadly it doesn't take much for his fight or flight response to kick in, and it's rarely the flight part that winds up taking priority, unfortunately."  
  
"I-it's okay. It was scary, but... no one got hurt, and you stopped him," the human replied after a moment, and Papyrus grinned again, ruffling their hair. "He wasn't even the first monster to attack me, honestly, but he was probably the most scary," they added.  
  
"...oh? and what did you do when other monsters attacked you?" Papyrus asked, tone calm, but inwardly, he was feeling very wary.  
  
"Dad taught me that the monsters were just scared of me because I'm a human, and that if I show kindness, the monsters will return it in kind. I made a lot of friends, even if they were scary at first," they said, and Papyrus smiled a bit wider and ruffled their hair once again, to which they giggled.  
  
"your dad is a smart guy. being kind is important. there are a lot more scary monsters in your path, some of whom might seem like they hate humans, though with good reason. still, kindness and mercy will take you far down here. don't hold anything against them. they are scared and desperate," Papyrus said.  
  
Before the human could respond, however, he heard the sound of his brother shouting for him and Red. "heh. hey, kiddo, listen up. I'm a sentry down here and I'm supposed to be watching for humans... but y'know, I'm really not interested in getting anyone hurt. it's just not the monster way. however, my bro, Sans... while he doesn't like hurting anyone either, he's pretty darn determined to get into the royal guard, and he thinks that means catching a human and handing them over to the captain." Papyrus paused, grinning. "common over here. Sansy's a bit oblivious sometimes, and there's a pretty neat hiding spot," he told the human, and they smiled, taking Papyrus' hand when he offered it, letting him lead them to a... rather conveniently shaped lamp.  
  
"Uh. Why is there a lamp shaped exactly like me?" they asked, and Papyrus shrugged, letting go of their hand and moving over to the direct center of the path. The human shrugged it off and hid behind the lamp, and not a moment too soon. A moment later, Blue tromped into the area, only to pause and look around baffled.  
  
"Brother! Where is Red?" Blue asked, frowning.  
  
"dunno, bro. he must be _skullking_ around here somewhere. he looked a little _rattled_ by something earlier, though, so maybe he went home? I dunno, though. perhaps we should go poke around for him?" Papyrus replied.  
  
"UGH! PAPY! Why must you pun so much?!"  
  
"oh come on, bro. I know you like them. I can see you smiling."  
  
"I am and I hate it," Blue snipped, then sighed. "At any rate, Papy, you really need to quit being such a lazy bones. I saw your puzzles haven't been recalibrated in... who knows how long, even! You need to put some _backbone_ into your puzzle maintenance!"  
  
Papyrus snickered, grinning wider. "okay, Sansy, ya got me. I'll go fix up my puzzles," he replied.  
  
"Good! I shall go on ahead. Don't take too long, though, Papy!" And with that, Blue turned and raced off.


End file.
